Much more Taylor Martin articles, videos, reviews

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Is NFC as a local content sharing platform viable?

Android One of the few things I remember from the Google I/O 2011 developers conference is the introduction of NFC support. The Android development team hadn't yet implemented Android Beam, but they detailed many of the planned uses for the...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 7

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Has your smartphone replaced your old point and shoot camera?

Android With the never-ending capabilities of modern smartphones, it's difficult to choose a single most important feature. But subconsciously, we like to choose a lone feature that will make or break a smartphone for us. For some, it's the...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 29

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The Nexus 7 inexplicably found its way back into my arsenal of devices

Android Following the Google I/O developers conference opening keynote in late June, where Google announced the Nexus 7, Nexus Q and made Android 4.1 Jelly Bean official, I felt mostly indifferent. The Nexus Q seemed quite nice but sorely...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 36

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An LG-made Nexus may not be so bad after all

Android The holiday season is nearing and rumors of the upcoming Nexus handset(s) are ramping up. We've heard from many a little bird that HTC, Samsung, LG and a few other partner Android manufacturers will be making Nexus devices for this holiday...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 28

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Five reasons you should buy the Galaxy Note II

Android Samsung caught the world off guard with its first questionably large smartphone, the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note. Many feared it was too big to be considered a smartphone, too clunky to carry in your pocket everywhere, unwieldy at best. In the...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 100 60 Reactions

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Would you pay $2.99 per month for a vanity number?

Android If for some reason, every number in my long list of messy contacts were to inexplicably disappear, I would be totally out of luck. Aside from my own cell phone numbers (which I admittedly forget sometimes), I can count the telephone...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 38 21 Reactions

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Motorola Atrix HD Written Review by Taylor

Android We go through a lot of phones here at PhoneDog, and the Motorola Atrix HD for AT&T is definitely one the more interesting handsets. On the inside, it hosts some of the more common high-end specifications, yet it doesn't bear a huge price...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 8

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Five main reasons I always carry an Android phone

Android Many of you already know that I'm not a one platform man. Each and every day, I leave my apartment with at least two mobile platforms in my pockets. I carry at least two smartphones with me almost everywhere I go, and while I'm not crazy...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 43

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It isn't 2007 anymore, can we stop with carrier exclusives already?

Android When the iPhone originally launched in 2007, AT&T was the sole carrier that introduced the game-changing smartphone to the world. AT&T inked a deal with Apple that would keep any competitors from carrying the iPhone for several years to...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 19

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My Galaxy Nexus will soon be the Pre 4 that never was

Webos The first time I ever used webOS was with version 1.0, the original Palm Pre. I worked as a wireless sales consultant at the time and worked the day of the the Pre launch. So I picked one up before I left work and quickly fell in love … at...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 12

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I'm on the fence about the purported Nexus program change

Android If the people had it their way, HTC would once again have a crack at partnering with Google to make a Nexus smartphone. Some want Sony or ASUS to have a go. Others just want Samsung to keep the ball rolling. LG is somewhere near the bottom...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 36

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AT&T Pantech Flex Written Review by Taylor

Android In an unexpected twist, Pantech launched a very high quality device last month, the Pantech Flex on AT&T, and it is undoubtedly one of the more interesting Android handsets to cross our paths here at PhoneDog. Out of all of the Pantech...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 1

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Some of us are too A.D.D. for cell phone conversations

Lifestyle I've written in the past about how voice calls and I don't get along. The cell phone changed the rules of engagement with communication in more ways than one. Where it was once acceptable to not answer a phone landline (do those still...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 17

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Why do we need the One X+, HTC?

Android Earlier this year, HTC delivered on its unlikely promise of refocusing its devices and software on what matters most: quality over quantity in hardware and de-cluttering and simplifying in Sense UI. It unveiled its new branding at Mobile...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 45

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Does Nokia still have a chance at a turnaround?

Business And Money Until April of this year, Nokia was the world's largest cell phone manufacturer and had been for 14 very long years. And its in-house platform was the most popular mobile operating system until the likes of Android came and swept the rug...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 20

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There are still a few quirks in Sense 4 that irk me

Android Back when I first got the HTC One X, I was surprised to discover, firsthand, that HTC had dramatically improved its customized Android interface, Sense UI. Previous versions were notorious for being overbearing, clunky and cluttered. At...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 17

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How do you kill time with your smartphone?

Android I remember sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office as a kid. Between my mother, my sister and myself, we were there at least once every month or so. And I remember always running straight to the magazine table to grab the latest...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 25

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Do you want HTC or LG to make the next Nexus?

Android It's that time of year again, pumpkin flavored everything, cool weather, leaves turning and the pre-holiday rumors abounding. We're at the point where we've seen dozens of rumored smartphones become official, and we're still waiting on...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 347 250 Reactions

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How do you avoid data overages?

4g Although T-Mobile and Sprint are keeping unlimited data on life support, its death is imminent. Surging usage and adoption of smartphones is bottlenecking wireless providers' networks in major cities across the nation. As a result, two of...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 117 75 Reactions

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The iPhone 5 display is gorgeous but it still isn't big enough

Iphone 5 Until last Friday, I had been using the iPhone 4S on my personal line since it arrived on my doorstep last October. It served me exceptionally well through tens of thousands of tweets, over 6,000 pictures taken, a few thousand text...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 50

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Apple iPhone 5 Written Review by Taylor

Cell Phone Reviews At long last, the long-rumored Apple iPhone 5 arrived last Friday and it is easily the most well put together smartphone we at PhoneDog have gotten our hands on. With a much-anticipated larger display, LTE connectivity, improved optics and...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 53

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How would you fare through a full day without a cell phone?

Lifestyle Few people these days can go an entire day without compulsively checking their smartphone. Back in February, based on a statistic that was first noted by Nokia at MindTrek in 2010, I asked you ladies and gents how often you check your...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 169 146 Reactions

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Research In Motion, 'if you ain't first, you're last'

Blackberry Os There's always something about the underdog that jerks at my heartstrings, no matter the event or situation. I care nothing about football, but every year for the Super Bowl, I pull for the less likely team to win. The same goes for...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 14

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Did your iPhone 5 come pre-scratched or scuffed?

Iphone 5 When Apple took the stage and finally made the iPhone 5 official, there was a moment of relief that surged through everyone. No more rumors, no more iPhone 5 concepts and no more speculation names, design or specs – at least not for...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 21

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Samsung Galaxy S III Written Review by Taylor

Android The Samsung Galaxy S III is the third installment of the ever-popular Galaxy S series by Samsung, and it is one of the most refined and balanced Android handsets we have come across here at PhoneDog. The fact that Samsung has already sold...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 28

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Apple iPhone 5 First Impressions by Taylor

First Impressions The iPhone 5 is a device we have been talking and writing about for the better part of two years. The fact that I can finally talk about it in the present tense is strange and a relief. It may not have brought all the changes we were...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 196 137 Reactions

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Which carrier should you buy an iPhone 5 from?

Iphone 5 In case you hadn't noticed, today is iPhone 5 day. UPS and FedEx trucks are delivering shiny, new (and possibly even pre-scratched like mine) iPhones to wanting hands all across the nation today. If you aren't waiting in line or sitting by...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 168 145 Reactions

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Verizon, customers aren't as excited over Share Everything as you want to believe

Business And Money Back in June, Verizon introduced its new plans. Unlike the Nationwide Talk Family SharePlans of years past, Share Everything switches the focus away from voice calls and instills data usage as the staple in your monthly wireless...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 37

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Five things about the iPhone 5 I'm excited for

Iphone 5 Like last year, anyone who pre-ordered Apple's latest iPhone was probably compulsively checking their tracking number today in hopes that by some miracle (or mix-up, just the same), their iPhone 5 would arrive early. Unfortunately, it...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 156 102 Reactions

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Everyone could use an Escape jacket from time to time

Android If your phones are anything like mine, they are constantly buzzing, ringing, vibrating, blinking, flashing and, well ... you get the picture. When you're bored or lonely, a constant influx of notifications can give you exactly what you...

from 2012 by Taylor Martin 2